Slip joint pliers



Oct. 16, 1956 F. PATRICK 2,766,647

sup JOINT PLIERS Filed April 11, 1955 N VEN TOR.

SLIP .IQINT PLIERS Frank Patrick, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Champion De Arment Tool Company, Meadville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 11, 1955, Serial No. 500,434 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-513) The invention is a two position slip joint pliers where the thrust is taken by interfitting grooves and ribs. In a preferred form, there is an interfitting groove and rib for each position with the grooves located at opposite ends of an elongated pin receiving slot. The grooves are formed between arcuate projections upstanding from the bottom of an elongated recess and the adjacent ends of the recess. The spacing of the ribs is such that when one rib engages one of the grooves, the other rib clears the projection forming the other groove. The recess has sufficient clearance to permit movement of the ribs from one to the other groove by moving the plier members to a position substantially at right angles to each other. Part of the advantages of the pliers can be obtained with a single rib in which case there is one position where the pin takes the thrust while in the other position the thrust is taken by the interfitting groove and rib.

In the drawing, Fig. i is a side view of a pliers; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the jaws and slip joint; Fig. 3 is a view of one of the plier members; Fig. 4 is a view of the other of the plier members; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a secion on line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a view of a two position pliers having only a single rib with the parts in the narrow opening position and in section in the plane between the plier members; and Fig. 8 is a view of the Fig. 7 pliers in the wide open position.

In the drawing, there is shown a slip joint pliers having two symmetrical crossed plier members 1 and 2 respectively having at one end hand grip surfaces 3 and 4 and at the other end jaws 5 and 6 which are in substantially direct continuation of the hand grip surfaces. Each of the plier members may have wire cutting notches 7. The plier member 1 has a square sided opening 8 for a pivot pin 9. The plier member 2 has an elongated slot for the pin 9 extending crosswise of the jaw 6. The slot 10 is at the center of an elongated recess 11 having arcuate end walls 12 connected by straight side walls 13 likewise extending crosswise of the jaw 6. Spaced inward from the end walls 12 are upstanding ribs 14 which in conjunction with the adjacent end walls 12 provide grooves 15. The plier member 1 has upstanding arcuate ribs or tongues 16 either one of which is receivable in one of the grooves 15. When one of the ribs 16 is in one of the grooves 15, the other rib 16 clears the rib 14 at the opposite end of the slot 10 as is clearly apparent from Fig. 2.

The pliers have two operating positions. In one position, the pin is at one end of the slot 10 and in the other position, the pin is at the other end of the slot 10. In either of these operating positions, one of the ribs 16 fits in one of the grooves 15 and the other rib 16 clears the rib 1 at the opposite end of the slot 10. In order to change the pliers from one operating position to another, the plier members 1 and 2 are turned approximately at right angles to each other so that the ribs are clear of the grooves 15 after which the plier members may be moved parallel to the slot 10 so as to position one of the ribs 16 for engagement with one of the grooves 15. In these pliers, in either operating position, there is no possibility of slipping because the pivotal position of the pliers is determined by the engagement of one of the ribs 16 with one of the grooves 15.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the plier member 2 is of the same construction as the previously described pliers while the plier member 1 has only one rib 16 which is shown engaged in the groove between the rib 14 and the right hand end of the elongated recess 11. In the narrow opening position shown in Fig. 7, the operating thrust is taken by the inter-engagement of the rib 16 with the groove 15 at the right hand end of the slot 10. When the plier members 1 and 2 are shifted to the other or wide opening operating position so that the pin 9 is at the left hand end of the slot 10 as shown in Fig. -8, then the rib 16 will have a sliding clearance with the inner ends 17 of the rib 14 at the right hand end of the slot 15 and the operating force will be taken by the engagement of the pin 9 with the left hand end of the slot 10. In the wide opening position, the sliding clearance indicated at 17 between the ribs 14 and 16 in Fig. 8 keeps the pin 9 at the left hand end of the slot 10 so that the plier members cannot unintentionally be moved from the wide opening position. The modification of Fig. 7, accordingly, achieves part of the advantages of the pliers illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive. In either position, there is no possibility of slippage under load. The slippage is most troublesome in the narrow opening position and in this position slippage to the wide opening position is positively prevented by the interfitting tongue and groove elements 15 and 16.

What is claimed as new is:

1. Two position slip joint pliers comprising crossed plier members connected by a pin, one member having a pin receiving opening and the other member having an elongated slot through which the pin extends, two spaced arcuate ribs on said one member respectively on opposite sides of the pin opening, said other member having an elongated recess surrounding the slot, projections on said other member upstanding from the bottom of the recess at opposite ends of the slot and spaced inwardly from the ends of the recess to define a pair of arcuate open-ended grooves, one groove being complementary to and receiving one of the ribs when the pin is at one end of the slot and the other groove being complementary to and receiving the other of the ribs when the pin is at the other end of the slot, the spacing of the projections being less than the spacing of the grooves so that when one rib is engaged in one of the grooves, the other rib is inside and clear of the projection forming the other groove.

2. Two position slip joint pliers comprising crossed plier members connected by a pin, said plier members each having a hand grip surface on one :side of the pin and a jaw on the other side of the pin facing opposite the hand grip surface, one member having a pin receiving opening and the other member having an elongated slot through which the pin extends, an arcuate rib on said one member on the same side of the pin as the hand grip surface, said other member having an elongated recess surrounding the slot, a projection on said other member upstanding from the bottom of the recess at one end of the slot and spaced inwardly from the end of the recess to define an arcuate open-ended groove complementary to and receiving said rib when the pin is at said one end of the slot, the spacing between the pin and rib being less than the length of the slot so that the rib is inside the projection forming the groove when the pin is at the other end of the slot.

References Cited in the file of his patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

